Spirulina as Animal Feed: Opportunities and Challenges
Open accessAbstract
Increasing demand for protein, especially animal-based proteins and the large amounts of protein feed inputs required for production, has largely driven the research on spirulina as an animal feed. This short communication summarizes the results from two larger research projects investigating spirulina as an animal feed. Overall, spirulina appears to be a prospective protein source in poultry and pork production, as well as aquaculture. However, spirulina as a feed can have implications for system productivity and end product quality, depending on animal production system. Neither swine productivity nor product quality was negatively affected with spirulina as a feed, which is likely due to the low amounts of protein required in swine finishing diets. Spirulina as a feed does negatively affect poultry and fish productivity as well as alter product quality, primarily raw meat color. Therefore, future research focused on sustainability analysis and product processing and acceptance should investigate the trade-offs of incorporating spirulina into poultry and fish diets.
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Incorporating Spirulina into poultry and swine diets does not have a significant impact on animal productivity and product quality, while holding the potential to replace less sustainable protein sources such as fishmeal.
“Based on a limited number of studies, it has been observed that incorporating Spirulina into poultry and swine diets does not have a significant impact on animal productivity and product quality, while also holding the potential to replace less sustainable protein sources such as fishmeal [76].”
From Emerging Applications of Chlorella sp. and Spirulina (Arthrospira) sp. (2023) · cites this paper as [76]
Section 5 says spirulina can be incorporated into poultry and swine diets without largely forfeiting productivity or product quality, and discusses its potential to replace fishmeal. But the Abstract says poultry productivity is negatively affected and product quality is altered; Section 2 also reports lower live weights when diets are not amino-acid balanced. The claim overgeneralizes the absence of significant impacts, particularly for poultry. (LLM, conf=0.90)
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References 36 · Cited by 77
Research works printed but not linked: 3
- [22]Dietz C. Spnder A. Liebert F. Does genetic background of Rainbow trout impact on growth and feed utilization following fishmeal substitution by partly defatted insect meal (Hermetia illucens) or microalgae powder (Arthrospira platensis)? Proceedings of the 74rd Tagung der Gesellschaft für Ernährungsphysiologie Goettingen, Germany 3–5 March 2020
- [23]National Research Council Nutrient Requirements of Fish and Shrimp National Academies Press Washington, DC, USA 2011
- [36]Habib M.A.B. Parvin M. Huntington T.C. Hasan M.R. A Review on Culture, Production and Use of Spirulina as Food for Humans and Feeds for Domestic Animals and Fish Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Rome, Italy 2008 Volume 1034
- Authors
- Altmann, B. A., & Rosenau, S.
- Affiliations
- University of Göttingen (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Altmann, Brianne A.
- Venue
- Foods
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2022-03-26
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 965
- ISSN
- 2304-8158 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC8997485
- OpenAlex
- W4220913966
- Cited by
- 77
- References
- 36
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 5
- FWCI
- 10.41
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Foods (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- GoeScholar The Publication Server of the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture (ZN 3041, ZN 3261)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Animal Science and Zoology › Animal Nutrition and Physiology
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Animal Science and Zoology › Meat and Animal Product Quality
- Keywords
- Spirulina, animal feed, alternative protein sources, poultry farming, pig farming, aquaculture, fish productivity, meat color, feed sustainability, consumer acceptance
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